The newest research about living with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome/Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (ME/CFS)/fibromyalgia, with personal observations
(the most pertinent parts of long articles will be highlighted for the reader)

About The Author

On March 4, 1988, I was diagnosed with Post-Viral Syndrome, which CDC soon decreed had to be referred to by the silly name "Chronic Fatigue Syndrome". My symptoms definitely traced back to a severe flu-like illness with a 105 fever for several days in mid-February 1987.
Despite relapses and increasing symptoms, I continued to work full-time as a legal secretary/paralegal -- even when I had no Quality of Life because I had to spend every non-working hour in bed so I could work the next day -- until February 2000, when months of severe sleep disturbance and ever-increasing symptoms (due to sleeping 2 hours or less a night due to the pain) cost me my job.
The doctors and judge didn't want to hear about failed attempts to return to work; they just assumed I don't want to work. "Don't confuse me with facts, my mind is already made up."
Since ADA will not force an employer to provide the accommodations I need, I started my own business so I could lie down whenever I needed to. I do proofreading and editing from home.
Visit www.CFSfacts.org or CFS Facts at YahooGroups or on Facebook if you want to learn the truth behind the myths.

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Friday, October 4, 2013

A recent study suggested overactive organs deep in the brain contribute tothe pain, fatigue and sleep problems in Fibromyalgia. Now a study suggeststhat the 'gates' in the deepest part of the brain that protect it frombeing slammed with too much sensory information may be broken in FM,causing pain, fatigue and even cognitive problems. Is your brain overloaded?

Wednesday, October 2, 2013

Don't try to lose weight with low-carb diets (like Atkins). Fatigue is a common MS symptom, and an imbalanced diet can make it worse. Low-carb diets tend to be high in fat and low in fruits, vegetables, and whole grains that are important for people with MS.

Don't eliminate dairy from your diet. One result of being inactive (and a possible side effect of steroid medications) is weak bones, a condition called osteoporosis. You can help prevent this problem by eating low-fat dairy products, like milk and protein-rich Greek yogurt, that are high in calcium and have added vitamin D.

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Also, although many well-meaning people will tell you to go vegetarian for your health, many CFS patients need more protein than the average person. I'm allergic to soy and can't get enough protein from beans, so meat is an absolute necessity for me to feel as well as possible. If you feel sluggish after trying vegetarianism, don't be afraid to tell people, as I do, "I tried it and it made me sicker."

Monday, September 30, 2013

Tom Hennessy got on CNN and tried to get the Gulf War Illness patients to coordinate with ME/CFS patients:

"That show got pretty heated when I claimed that "many of our brave veterans are returning with very similar symptoms as all these 'alleged whiney white women' who can NOT handle stress!" I went on to say, that "If these highly educated, mostly male, stunningly victorious soldiers who only fought for four days, could come down with this terrible illness, then maybe the NIH and the CDC will be forced to stop telling lies about it."

I got TONS of mail from all over the world."

Unfortunately, because of the amount of publicity that CFS patients are just whiny depressed menopausal women, no one ever wants to join forces with us -- even young athletic military men who certainly aren't menopausal.

There have been calls for Act Up-style protests, but how? Our patients are stuck in bed, and our partners often question whether we're really sick. Spouse went to the doctor with me and initially started by confirming my objective symptoms, but by the end of the appointment the doctor had brainwashed him that he couldn't be seeing any objective symptoms because there was nothing there to see. Even after I got a diagnosis from a virologist, Spouse continued to question whether the first doctor was right that I was just faking to avoid certain things I didn't want to do. That wasn't an issue for AIDS patients, where their partners were told to take precautions to avoid getting infected themselves; no one tells our partners that we're highly contagious, in part because there's no evidence of contagion after the initial flu-like illness and in part because they think we're just lazy or crazy. No one's going to take to the streets to protest on behalf of lazies or crazies, which means whatever we do is left up to the patients and the few people who do believe that it's a physical illness, not a psychiatric problem.